M-12 Aurochs Main Battle Tank
''General Patton said the M1 Garand was the greatest war implement ever devised. He was wrong. ''-Raltir's Heir, His Honor the Supreme Counselor Dave Ellis Note: This page is currently undergoing thorough updates by the author, who has deemed its now outdated and inaccurate information insufficient. Having its name derived from the national animal of the Northern Aelian States of Raltirian Denethier, the Auroch heavy battle tank is considered by many, including the Supreme Counselor, himself, to be the strong arm of the Denethrien army. It has served as a powerful weapon against enemy forces for many years, and is expected to serve well into the 2070's, with appropriate modifications, giving it an estimated service life of over 80 years. The M12A family of battle tanks is actually derived from a previous family of prototype tanks developed in the mid 1970's known as the M12 Cougar. In combat, no M12A has never encountered infantry based antitank weapons strong enough to penetrate its armor on the first shot. This is only one small testament to the military powerhouse that is the M12A Auroch. Early Development The original design for the M12A family of tanks was taken from a failed project by Barigon Iron Works to beef up the failing Denethrien armored arsenal during the Cold War. The XM12 Cougar was meant to restore the image of Denethrien armored supremacy established by the Cataphract during World War Two in Lohmar and Western Bazikstan. The Cataphract, while heavy and unwieldy in enclosed areas, was a powerhouse in open farmland and hillsides. It was introduced in 1936 as a heavy tank boasting a 60mm main gun and 100mm thick armor. By 1940, these models had been replaced by newer versions with a 76mm main gun and armor as thick as 115mm, comparable to the German Panther tank introduced in 1943. By 1945, the Cataphract had proved its worth, and it served a crucial role in the crossing of the northern Nova Prussian border in 1945, and the resulting capture of New Hamburg, thus ending the war in Aels. By 1953, however, the once powerful Cataphract was being overshadowed by newer models of American and Soviet tanks. In 1953, the Cataphract was officially scrapped, however planned designs of more powerful tanks were quickly going under. In 1959, a new tank, the Warthog, was introduced. It carried a 97mm AT rifle and 135mm armor, however this proved insufficient when compared to new tanks being developed. The Warthog entered service, however, with limited use throughout the 1970's. In 1973, Barigon Iron Works began work on a new tank, one which would overpower anything else in the world market. This was known as the XM12 Cougar. The Cougar was meant to serve the same purpose as the Cataphract: short, effective spearhead attacks to break apart enemy lines. The project went well until 1977, when the government cut funding in light of other more promising ventures. In 1984, Barigon Iron Works looks back on the Cougar project and requested government support on a revival of the Cougar, under the new name, "Auroch." Applying technologies and lessons from the American Abrams family of tanks, introduced in 1980, Barigon Iron Works succeeded in making a powerful and effective model of heavy tank. The first production model rolled off the assembly lines on August 11, 1989. Tactical Philosophy Each model of the M12A family of tanks has served a different set of tactical and stategic requirements in warfare based on the evolution of battle. The basic purposes of the tanks have remained the same since 1989, but the ways in which these purposes have been fulfilled has changed over the years. M12A1 The original concept of the M12A1 was a heavy tank meant to make short, sprinting spearhead attacks at the enemy lines. Because of massive fuel costs, the Auroch at the time was unable to outrun allied supply lines for fear of running out of fuel. For this reason, forces with the Auroch could not move quickly lest they outrun a powerful military asset. The inability of the tank to move quickly was, however, offset by its incredible competence in a combat situation. Given well trained crews, things not hard to come by in the Denethrien military, the Auroch was an incredible weapon against enemy static defenses, as well as more mobile enemy assault forces. There are existing reports dating back to 1997, during Supreme Counselor Dave Ellis' daring armored assaults against separatist forces, of Auroch tank formations hitting enemy defenses, and having the defenders rout or surrender within fifteen minutes of t he first shots fired. Enemy attacks could be knocked aside by these beasts as well as defenses, given that the Auroch packed such firepower that it could destroy enemy vehicles quickly and efficiently, and with combned arms efforts with artillery and allied Patton tanks, it could run down shattered enemy units and crush them. However, mobility was a bit of a problem for the M12A1, and by 2004, with the Iberian War starting up, Barigon Iron Works, with permission from the government, set out to develop an improved version of the mighty Auroch. During the Iberian conflict, Spanish forces adopted tactics employing light vehicles to harass Auroch tank commanders and coax them under the umbrella of enemy artillery fire, where armored forces would be shredded, and the local Denethrien forces significantly weakened. M12A2 The M12A2 represents the first of the newer forms of Auroch tank. Really, the A1 variant was a relic of ancient times, using tactics that were really outdated. The A2 variant was the first attempt to modernize the brute force tactics employed by the Denethrien army. The M12A1 Auroch weighed upwards of 120 short tons, something that proved extremely expensive in the long run as far as fuel and maintenance were concerned. The military needed a faster, lighter, generally more effective weapon on the battlefield. The M12A2 used far more complex armor than the simple titanium reinforced RH armor. The improvements in armor made the M12A2 considerably lighter than its predecessor. The Auroch could now move more quickly, and most importantly keep up with the frontal forces. Formations of Auroch tanks could now move more quickly without fear of running low on fuel or ammunition, and so Denethrien heavy armor was given a distinct advantage on the battlefield, as it could stay at the head of advancing forces, allowing the whole of the Denethrien advance to move more quickly. In addition to the armor improvements, the M12A2 boasted refined electronics and targeting systems, as well as a more accurate, high muzzle velocity antitank gun. This idea was taken from the use of the 88mm antitank gun on the Tiger and Tiger II by the Germans during World War II. The high muzzle velocity of the MkIII rifle allowed the A2 to be more effective against enemy fortifications, such as pillboxes. WIth improved speed and weapons, the Auroch had become a new born, modern killing machine. Category:Military Equipment Category:Tanks Category:Continent of Aels